OH GOD GIVE ME SALAMANDER PLS!!!! - (a post on the even of Teachers Day)

OH GOD PLEASE GIVE ME SALAMANDER!!!!

The title of my post must have surprised you all, but this was exactly I asked God that day.

Want to know why? here I go

Wishing to become a doctor and I took biology so that I can achieve my goal in life which was my biggest dream. I marveled at the dissections which we were required to do in school/college… frogs, cockroaches and earthworm, snail, leech. After dissection, displaying the specimen nicely and getting ‘A’+ from my biology teacher became a regular feature. After each such dissection my bio teacher would tell me your dissection is picture perfect and you are sure to become a good surgeon and I would feel proud as if I have not dissected the animals but a human body.

In graduation too I took zoology and botany, my favourite subjects. Soon it was the day of final practical exam for zoology of final year B.Sc. It was a day of panic for many reasons, if a student will fail in the practicals means he/she is considered fail in that subject, an external will be the invigilator to conduct the practical exam, which means a lecturer or professor from another university and last and scariest of all, no one knows what animal will be given to us for dissection on the practical exam day. Many of my classmates tried to bribe the lab assistant and when they returned their face had ashen looks. We gheroed them asking what happened? They told us its very bad news, we are going to be given chicken and salamander for dissection. It is going to be lottery system, means we have to pick up the slips of paper and dissect whatever animals name is written on that paper. Some girls, the girlie thing most young girls do, started crying while remembering the wrath of my father if I fail in the practical exam and thereby getting disqualified, I gathered all my courage. Being a strict vegetarian, I could not even imagine dissecting a chicken so while all girls prayed, Oh God Oh God please let us get chicken in the lottery, I was the only girl who was praying Oh God, Oh God, let it be a salamander, give me a salamander, the animal which I had never seen in my life but I was praying to get it. The most I had seen of this kind was chameleon and thought it must be resembling the same.

Soon, we were ushered inside the lab and I saw the girls before us picking up the slip of paper and instantly crying. With a trembling hand I picked up one slip opened it and wow it mentioned “Salamander” I was so happy that I went smiling to my seat. The external examiner was a very stern looking gentleman and we all were told to be extra polite to him. I felt on top of the world while each and every girl started crying, those who got chicken and also those who got salamander. I was shocked to see the salamander on my dissection tray, it was a huge thing, and its tail, when I placed it on the dissecting tray were hanging on my dress. Gathering all my courage, I started pinning it for dissection. Meanwhile the external invigilator called my name since he has to give me marks also in the practical notebook, he praised me for my sketching and said beta you have an artistic hand. He asked my name and I said Savi Pillai, asked my ambition and when I told him I want to become a doctor, he said you will sure become. I returned happily to my seat and started dissecting the huge creature, forgetting the classroom around me, totally engrossed in my work. I purposely did not look at other classmates for fear of getting demoralized. I had to do good in my practical test by hook or crook. I was so engrossed that I didn’t feel the external standing behind me watching intently what I was doing. When it was almost done, I felt a hand on my shoulder patting me and saying “ Pillai sahab aapney to kamaal kar diya”(Pillai sir you done wonders) . I was so happy on his praise. I was happy to find afterwards that I got the highest marks in practical exam in my entire class. When the external sir was leaving the classroom, I ran forward and touched his feet for his blessings he patted my head and said khoob padhai karo aur naami doctor bano” (study well and become a renowned doctor). While we were students of Ranchi University, he had come from Bhagalpur university. I remember his kind words and remember him specially on Teachers day, unfortunately I could not become a doctor and my only dream which I had nurtured since childhood could not be fulfilled but can never forget the blessings and appreciation from the External sir.

(sorry for the spelling mistake the word "Even" may please be read as Eve under the title of my blog)

OH GOD GIVE ME SALAMANDER PLS!!!! - (a post on the even of Teachers Day)